Some additional perspective on General Rod Dreher and his Benedict Option™
While attorney and Iraqi War vet David French and professional foodie Rod Dreher debate the sense of the latter's Benedict Option™, let's not forget that currently self-appointing General of his Benedict Option™ (GBO) Dreher already has a book just freshly out, not the one he is using this debate to generate future publisher interest in, of course, but rather his previous, already written Dante book.
What, you might ask, is this Dante book about?
As followers of Dreher's blog over the course of his developing and promoting the Dante book only know too well, the book is about how Dante saved Dreher from the "dark wood" of depression and allegedly stress-induced mononucleosis caused by his family - those who know him best - not sharing his own vision of himself. His wife finally tired of his taking to his bed to sleep interminably and demanded he get professional psychological help.
Let this settle in for a moment. The general who is proposing to develop and lead us through our culture war campaign was driven to his fainting couch by his in-laws not liking him the way he wanted and ultimately booted from it by his long-suffering wife.
Is the phrase "folds like an origami under pressure" really adequate to describe this sort of petal-like character in a would-be leader of any sort of war?
And when contemplating the sympathy-sucking milquetoast depressive Rod Dreher of the Dante book versus the guerrilla general-to-be Rod Dreher of his Benedict Option™, the question obviously forces itself upon us: which, if either, is even the real Rod Dreher?
But, hey, I say follow him as far as the parking lot, at least.
Here's an interesting observation, provided by J_A, commenting today (4/24) at 11:21 am, on Rod's post titled "Community or Capitulation."
ReplyDeletehttp://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/community-or-capitulation/comment-page-1/#comment-7412379
He criticizes Rod's "war" and "capitulation" language, suggests living by example simply as a Christian, and then:
"But your continuous talk of capitulation, defeat, etc. makes me think that what you are really concerned about is not that you will be forbidden to live your life, but that you will not be able to do [s]o and at the same time bask in the approval and respect of your community. And thus you are more incensed about your position in the world than about your own relationship with God.
I know of a book that talks about a young man that felt hurt because his family didn’t approve of his ways, his ideas, etc.. . . "
. . . and after summarizing TLWORL, J_A finishes with: "You remind me s lot of the young man’s family in that book. They felt that his refusal to accept that what they espoused was ipso facto true and good was a willing effrontery on his part. Poor young man. They weren’t willing to give him a chance.
It’s a good book. You should read it."
P.S. Just realized I assumed J_A is a he. Sorry, J_A, if you're a she.
DeleteIn case anything I said left you you doubting Marshall Dreher's fitness to lead the culture war, a brief, name-dropping post to re-cement his conservative bona fides, including two beards and four and a half dozen oysters.
ReplyDeleteI'll bet Julie Dreher is glad he's feeling this laid back in person, and chipper, more than any of us.
If you have to convince the rest of the world you're laid back and chipper by telling them you are, you're probably not.
DeleteAfter reading this part:
DeleteBefore we met for dinner, I spent a wonderful hour in a nearby Starbucks with Andrew Sullivan. I love that guy. I honestly do. I have never, ever seen him looking so well. He’s in shape, he looks happy, he looks serene. It’s all because he quit the Internet. I have deeply regretted his absence from online, but after talking with him and hearing his story, I encouraged him never, ever to return to the Internet. He’s glowing with health and happiness, and I’m genuinely thrilled for him. No kidding, I couldn’t get over how good he looked, and how centered. What a pleasure to see him flourishing, but what a pity to realize that it took him withdrawing from public life to achieve such a state of bliss. I am so happy for him, and understand to the marrow how and why he is so happy...
I'm glad that he met up with Sullivan before dinner and not after a couple dozen oysters, IYKWIM.
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DeleteAnybody notice Rod has been laying on the appeal to anonymous authority schtick extra-thick lately? He was quoting so many anonymous correspondents in his posts I was wondering what Rod actually wrote himself.
ReplyDeleteUntil I noticed that all these anonymous correspondents in high places begging Rod to write another book and lead a great new crusade had writing styles and word choices identical to his. Funny, that.
One of his commenters basically accused him of sockpuppeting the comment he promoted to an update I mentioned here.
DeleteThere's nothing in Rod Dreher's life to suggest honesty is particularly high on his values hierarchy.
My additional perspective. The Benedict Option is flat out WRONG.
ReplyDelete"Or do you subscribe to the psychotic delusion that anti-Christians will lovingly maintain Christian enclaves among them at their own expense like little tanks of sea monkeys?" (quoted from different post.)
Indeed, that's what the delusion is all about.
No, they will not. The fact is that no one, not the Amish, not the Mormons (remember that plural marriage thingie?), not the Hassidic Jews, can do anything, even in their closed societies, that goes against "public policy." Yeah, they can nibble at the edges and do a few idiosyncratic things, but the law of the land is the law.
The problem we got here, is that the law of the land is being corrupted. Being distorted. Being driven into madness. As in, to give only one example, the analogy between interracial marriage and same-sex "marriage." (I'm not going to waste words here describing the distortion - you already know it.)
The answer is not to run and hide. Because you can run, but you can't hide. Didn't someone say that?
The answer is, "change public policy." Because you can run but you can't hide.
We're gonna lose a big one tomorrow. I predict a sweeping victory for same sex "marriage."
The battle is joined.
Exactly, Dee. Great insight. No one will be left alone, no matter where they are. Exhibit A is the story of the Branch Davidian compound.
DeleteAnd yes, the rule of law is indeed being distorted into the rule of men. An unjust law is no law at all.
Amen, Dee.
DeleteI can anticipate Dreher's response that you just don't understand the Benedict Option, and so there is no way you can say it's wrong or critique it in any way. That's the beauty of it from the warped perspective of anyone who proposes it, as Keith has pointed out time and again.
I would add that it seems to me like holing up in the bunker actually invites more interference from the government. E.g., there was an organic farm market where we buy our meat west of Cleveland some years ago which got raided. The inspectors came in heavy and disrupted their business. Nothing was found to be wrong and the place was able to open shortly thereafter.
These people were good people, but they definitely had the sort of wide-eyed mistrust of the "system", and their clientele even more-so -- definitely in the "crunchy" mindset. I'm sure there are plenty of anti-vaxxers hanging out there. They're not David Koresh types, not by far. Even so, whenever you develop a sort of bunker mentality like this you really make people wonder what you're up to. People shouting from the rooftops might be crazy, but they've obviously nothing to hide.